All Opinion
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Obama is right to visit Myanmar (Burma)
The apparent end of censorship has unleashed a veritable media gold rush in Myanmar (Burma). On his visit there, President Obama should encourage the country's wave of democratic reforms by highlighting the urgent need for free and open media to reach all parts of the country.
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In shifting sands of Middle East, who will lead? (+ video)
Leadership in the Middle East is up for grabs as the Syrian war intensifies, the Arab Spring changes regional power dynamics, and Israel's airstrikes and Hamas rockets again roil Gaza. Last year, Turkey was the assumed role model for the region. But it has fallen down on the job.
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Letter to China's new leader, Xi Jinping (+ video)
Dear Xi Jinping: Congratulations on your elevation to the top post in China. Many expect you to be the most powerful head of state in the world. But you face global citizens who are saying, 'enough is enough' when it comes to trade, human rights, and nationalism. Be forewarned.
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Obama, Congress should push NATO missile defense program off 'fiscal cliff'
As the automatic defense spending cuts loom, President Obama and Congress should cancel the flawed, expensive NATO missile-defense program. Ending the program would encourage greater international cooperation on security issues and free up Navy ships to address actual threats.
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Different China, same risky political system
At China's Communist Party congress, outgoing President Hu Jintao made a frank appraisal of challenges faced by the party. But he ruled out any evolution toward a more open and accountable political system. China has yet to learn from South Korea and Taiwan.
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Obama's post-election Syria policy is unlikely to change, but it should
Obama’s policy of 'staying the course' in Syria should be weighed against worsening strategic realities in the country and region. Only a careful military program to help the rebels, including arming and training them, can stem the growing costs of US inaction.
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George Soros: To survive, Europe must recapture spirit of solidarity
Europe has become divided into two classes – depressed debtors like Greece and controlling creditors like Germany. To reverse this, Europe must recapture its spirit of solidarity. A good place to start is where suffering is greatest, in Greece, among thousands of mistreated migrants.
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Balkan conflicts hold clear lessons on intervention in Syria
As policymakers in Europe, the United States, the Gulf states, Turkey, and the Arab League search for ways to resolve the conflict in Syria, they should consider what the wars in Bosnia and Kosovo have to teach about outside intervention. The main lesson? Do it – to stop the killing.
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To avoid 'fiscal cliff,' try mediation
The 'fiscal cliff' needs urgent attention, but the election returned the same House/Senate/White House configuration that failed to agree on the budget ceiling in 2011. More active participation by President Obama combined with mediation could help bridge the congressional divide.
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Veterans Day: To regain trust, Congress should take a cue from US military
This Veterans Day, the military is one of America’s most trusted institutions; Congress is one of the least. Confidence in many public institutions is low because they lack a sense of duty, trust, loyalty, and teamwork – qualities US troops hold dear, and which all Americans can practice.
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How President Obama can win over Congress (+ video)
He may have won the election, but now President Obama faces enormous challenges in the House and Senate – among Republicans and Democrats. To succeed, he must do what does not come naturally to him: Spend lots of quality time with lawmakers of both parties.
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What superstorm Sandy taught me about the failures of online learning (+video)
When hurricane Sandy closed my campus for a few days, my students and I had to conduct our course online. It was wholly inadequate. Online learning cannot – and should not – replace the real-time dialogue of the in-person classroom.
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Why Democrats have the tea party to thank for their win (+video)
The tea party had a huge impact on the election – but not the one it sought. It kept the Senate in Democratic hands by nominating far-right, losing candidates. It pushed Mitt Romney too far to the right. What Republicans need is their own Bill Clinton. Someone like New Jersey's Chris Christie.
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Mitt Romney's flip-flopping didn't hurt him (+video)
The Obama campaign labeled Mitt Romney a flip-flopper. But Romney's position shifts did little to fundamentally harm his election prospects. Obama only narrowly defeated Romney, and election day results closely mirror projections from June – before Romney’s move to the middle.
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Exit polls show President Obama should go on listening tour, not take victory lap
Mitt Romney will be chastised for his missteps. But he isn’t the only one who was tone deaf. Voters are ambivalent about President Obama and his record. He needs to listen to the echoes from the exit polls, broaden his approach, and seek a new direction for his second term.
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As a region battered by Sandy braces for the nor'easter, I think of Grandma
When superstorm Sandy hit New York City, I made my way through a pitch-black hallway and down the stairs remembering Grandma – and the New York we had shared. And I thought of 9/11. That spirit of service and community has shown itself again in the aftermath of Sandy.
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After Obama win, how civility can come to Washington (+video)
After the election last night, President Obama and Mitt Romney rightly spoke of the need to reach out to the other side. But today's political divisiveness has been decades in the making and will take decades to undo. Here's how that can happen. It starts with citizens.
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Finding uncommon community after superstorm Sandy
The older Italian couple had narrowly escaped superstorm Standy. Their Staten Island home had not. As we carried debris with other volunteers, we came to know them. My friends and I spend most of our days emailing, but today, we worked – together. These encounters are too rare.
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Hurricane Sandy blows climate change back on the table
Today is election day in the US, but climate change should have been on the campaign agenda months ago. It shouldn't take a disaster like superstorm Sandy to finally bring it back into the conversation.
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Election day: Most predictions of the next four years will be wrong (+video)
As President Obama or Mitt Romney will discover, the only predictable thing about foreign and domestic events is unpredictability. Woodrow Wilson didn't foresee World War I. Jimmy Carter called Iran an 'island of stability.' Terrorism got only brief mention in the 2000 Bush-Gore debates.
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